Near Ponte Vedra Beach in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Governor Grant's Plantations
Photographed By John A Sanders, circa January 2015
1. Governer Grant's Plantations Marker
Inscription.
Governor Grant's Plantations. . In 1768, James Grant (1720-1806), Governor of British East Florida from 1763 to 1773, established Grant's Villa Plantation at the juncture of the Guana and North Rivers. Enslaved Africans cleared the 1,450-acre tract of land, planted indigo seeds, and processed the plants into blue indigo dye. Indigo dye became East Florida's main export, and Grant's Villa was its most profitable plantation. By 1780, due to declining soil fertility and the disruption of transportation routes during the American Revolution, indigo cultivation was no longer profitable. Ordered to develop a new estate 12 miles north at the headwaters of Guana River, overseer William Brockie and the slaves completed Mount Pleasant Plantation in 1781. Just south of today's Mickler Road, between SR A1A and Neck Road, the slaves built two earthen dams which enclosed a 220-acre rice field. The dam on the south blocked the flow of salty tidal water. The barricade to the north created a fresh water reservoir. In 1784, following the return of East Florida to Spain, both plantations were abandoned and the enslaved Africans were transported to The Bahamas, from where they were sold to rice planters in South Carolina.
In 1768, James Grant (1720-1806), Governor of British East Florida from 1763 to 1773, established Grant's Villa Plantation at the juncture of the Guana and North Rivers. Enslaved Africans cleared the 1,450-acre tract of land, planted indigo seeds, and processed the plants into blue indigo dye. Indigo dye became East Florida's main export, and Grant's Villa was its most profitable plantation. By 1780, due to declining soil fertility and the disruption of transportation routes during the American Revolution, indigo cultivation was no longer profitable. Ordered to develop a new estate 12 miles north at the headwaters of Guana River, overseer William Brockie and the slaves completed Mount Pleasant Plantation in 1781. Just south of today's Mickler Road, between SR A1A and Neck Road, the slaves built two earthen dams which enclosed a 220-acre rice field. The dam on the south blocked the flow of salty tidal water. The barricade to the north created a fresh water reservoir. In 1784, following the return of East Florida to Spain, both plantations were abandoned and the enslaved Africans were transported to The Bahamas, from where they were sold to rice planters in South Carolina.
Erected 2004 by A Florida Heritage Landmark sponsored by St. Johns County and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number
Location. 30° 1.401′ N, 81° 19.624′ W. Marker is near Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in St. Johns County. Marker can be reached from Guana River Road, 0.2 miles west of South Ponte Vedra Boulevard (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling west. Located in Guana State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2690 South Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach FL 32082, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2015, by John A Sanders of Saint Johns, Florida. This page has been viewed 958 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on February 22, 2015, by John A Sanders of Saint Johns, Florida. 2. submitted on April 10, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
